Insubmergible vessel



Mar. 13, 1923. 1,448,607.

M. TWORSKI. I

INSUBMER GIBLE VESSEL.

ORIGINAL FILED JAN. 6. I921. 3SHEET5SHEET atto'uamg Mar. 13, 1923. I M. TWORSKI.

INSUBIVIEBGIBLE VESSEL.

ORIGINAL FILED JAN- 6. l92l.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- Mar. 13, 1923. 1,448,607.

- M. TWORSKI.

INSUBMERGIBLE VESSEL.

ORIGINAL FILED JAN. 6. 1921. 3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

Patented Mar. 13, 1923.

wire stares INSUBMERGIBLE VESSEL.

Application filed January 6, 1921, Serial No. 435,300. Renewed December 6, 1922.

To all whom 2'2? may concern Be it known that I, MARTIN TWoRsKI, citizen of Poland, residing at Vancouver, in the county of Vancouver and Province of British Columbia, Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Insubmergible Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to floats and their application to ships to either preventthe latter from sinking, or raise them after sinking, or for use as rafts or in the construction of pontoons.

The invention has for one ob e.ct to provide a ship with a novel arrangement of col-- lapsible floats whereby sinking of the latter may be prevented in case of damage to the hull of the ship.

Another object is to provide an arrangement for coupling the floats in collapsed condition to a sunken ship whereby the latter may be raised by inflation of the float.

Other objects relate to the detail construction of the float members themselves and the securing of the same in groups.

For further comprehension of-the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a plan view of a ship having the invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse section on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view, wlth parts broken away, of the float.

Fig. 5' is a side elevatlon showing the float and its cage as applied to the raislng of the sunken ship.

Fig. 6 is an end view of the devlce shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail plan view showing the manner of joining a series of floats together to form. a raft or pontoon.

Fig. 8 is a partial underside plan View of the device as in Fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is an end view thereof.

Fig. 10 is a detail cross section of one of the floats, showing also a pump connected thereto.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 3, the reference numeral 10 indicates the hull of an ordinary ship, one of the lower decks being shown at 11. According to my invention a series of shallow pockets or recesses 12 are formed in the hull above the deck 11, these recesses being of greater length than height. While I have shown the hull 10 as formed with a pair of these recesses on each side thereof it is to be understoodthat the number may be increased if desired.

Under normal conditions these pockets are covered by doors such as 15 fixed on arms 16, these arms being hinged on pintles' pointed out, the inner ends of the arms 16 being connected by a'channel beam 20.

These pockets have positioned therein the I collapsed float members 21 which are adapted to be inflated with air when put into use. For inflating these floats I provide an air compressor 22 which may be driven by an electric motor 23, branched pipes 24 leading from the air compressor to the different pockets and connecting to the floats therein. These floats may be attached on opposite sides to the inner walls of the pockets and the doors so as to be retained firmly in position when inflated.

The doors 15 are each locked in closed position by a latch 25 in the form of a bar mounted between its ends on a pin 26 pivoted in a bracket 27 fixed on the hull 10 of the ship, one end of the bar 25 engaging the channel beam 20. Projecting over the opposite end of the bar 25 is the hooked upper end of a bolt 28 slidable in a bearing 29 fixed to the channel beam 20, this bolt 28 having a pair of fixed collars 30 located on opposite sides of the hearing so as to allow limited movement of the bolt. A tension spring 31, connected to an arm 32 on the hinge pin 26 normally presses the latch 25 into engagement with the beam 20.

Connected to the opposite end of the bolt- 28 to that engaging the latch 25 is a rope 34 which extends downwardly and over a drum 35 fiiied on a shaft 36 "mounted in suitable bearings on the deck 11, 'it being understood thatthere is one of these drums for each door,whi1eonly two of the shafts are provided, each of which has the drums for the doors on one side of the ship fixed thereon, these shaftsbeing driven by electric motors 37 through "the medium of suitable reduction gearing, not shown. Under sienna]; conditions the operativeend of latch "25 engages the, channel'beam and holds the doorclosed. The latch isretained in thi's' position by the action of spring 31 which [holds the other endof theilatch pulled upward against thejhook on bolt 28, upward movement of the bolt being limited by the lower'collar30 thereon bearing against the I bottom of bearing 29, this being the position of the parts shown in Figs. 2 and 3. WYhen rope 84 is pulled,the bolt 28 is moved downward and swings latch free of the beam 20, downwardmovement of the bolt beinglimited by the upper collar 30 there onbearing against the upper end of the bearing 29. Continued pulling on the rope 34 causes the door to open, as will be apparent.

to may be connected to common lead wires 40 and 41 in one of Which is a hand switch 42 whereby the circuit may be closed. In

oneof the individual leads 43 to each of the. motors 87 is a switch comprising a pair of contacts42, 43 fixed on a block 44 on one of the pockets 12 under one of the arms 16,

these contactsbeing normally closed, but being opened when the arm 16 swingsdownward and engages a button 44 on the contact 43, thereby stopping the motors 37 without interfering with the motor 23.

- In Fig.4 of the drawings'I have shown the preferred construction of-the collapsible floats. These are preferably constructed to be of cylindrical shape when inflated and comprise an inner bag 45 of rubber over which isa. covering 46 of canvas or the like. The canvas covering is formed with a slit 47 for the insertion or removal ofthe rubber bag, the edges of this slit being secured by I lacing 48.- This lacing is preferably covered by a flap 49-secured to the cover 46 and ex tending overthe lacing 48, this flap being laced in turn to anarrower flap 50 also secured to the "cover. To ensure against' the edges of these flaps catching against objects, and to renderthe joints water-tight, these edges including the, laced edges may be covered with plastic rubber or rubber cement as indicated at 51.

Inhigs. 5 and 6 I have shown an application of the invention to raising sunken ships.

In this arrangement any desired number of thevfloats 21 may be employed. Each of the floats has secured to opposite sides thereof,

p The motor 23 for operating the air compi'essor 22, and the motors 37 just referred when collapsed. Air is then pumped into; the float through a fiexible pipe 60 leading thereinto, which pipe may be wire-wound or otherwise suitably reinforced, The floats when filled with air willexert a lifting force on the vessel to raise the latter to the sur-V face. y i r i I In Figs. 7 to '10'I haveshown my improved fioat as applied to the construction of'a portable raft, or of a pontoon bridge; Inthis embodiment the floats are arranged side by sidev in pairs of which there may be any number disposed end to end, each pair be ing separated by a partition composed of plates joined by rope loops 66 To holdthe floats togetherI 'einpl oy a therealong, of which there is preferably one at each side, two at the top, and two'at the bottom. Theselongitudinalropes are lashed series of ropes, 66 extending longitudinally" together by cross ropes arranged as follows:,

Extending between the bottomropes 66 areshort ropes 6S which are secured thereto at opposite ends as at 67. I To these bottom ropes a second series ofropes 69 are attached,

these ropes being carried first upwardly around one side of the raft and looped as" at 70 'and'71 around the adjacentside and top rope 66, then carried across diagonally in a 'crosse'd formationas at 72 to the other top rope 66, looped around the sam'e'and the other side rope as at 73 and 74"and finally secured as at 75 to the otherbottomrope. The partition plates 65, above'refeired to are also connected by rope fastenings'76 to these longitudinal "ropes66'. For inflating I the raft structure a pipe 77, branched as at" 78, may connect to the end p'airof floats 21,

while each 'float may be" eonnected to the next one, longitudinally considered, by a flexible pipe 79' in which is a valve 80." In

Fig.,10 I have indicated one of the floats 21'" has being inflated by a hand pump 81, which maybe carried round with the device when used as a portable raft by hunters or others. I l aving thus "described my invention what I claim as new and desire to protect'by Letters Patent of the United Statesiis as,

follows: 1 H,

1; In a ship, a series ofpocketsformed in doors having fixed arms extending upward 'the hull thereof, doors normally closing said pockets, collapsed floats in said pockets, said along the inner face of the hull, latch-bars pivotally mounted between their ends and having one end, engaging said arms to hold the doors closed, operating means for said doors, and hooked elements connected to the door operating means and adapted to re lease the said latch-bars on operation of the said means.

2. In a ship, a series of pocketsformed in the hull thereof, doors normally closing said pockets, collapsed floats in said pockets, said doors having fixed arms extending upward along the inner face of the hull, latch-bars pivotally mounted between their ends and having one end engaging said arms to hold the doors closed, operating means for said doors, and hooked elements connected to the door operating means and adapted to release the said latch-bars on operation of the said means, said hooked elements comprising sliding bolts, guide bearings therefor, and collars on said bolts on opposite sides of the guide bearings, for the purpose specified.

3. In a ship, a series of pockets formed in the hull thereof, doors normally closing said pockets, collapsed floats in said pockets, said doors having fixed arms extending inwardly into the hull, said arms being in close proximity to the inner face of the hull when the doors are closed, and means in said hull connected to said arms to operate the doors.

4. In a ship, a series of pockets formed in the hull thereof, doors normally closing said pockets, collapsed floats in said pockets, said doors having fixed arms extending inwardly into the hull, said arms being in close proximity to the inner face of the hull when the doors are closed, electrically operated means for opening said doors, and a switch adapted to be engaged by said doors when opened to out out the current to the door operating means.

5. In a ship, a series of pockets formed in the hull thereof, collapsed floats in said pockets, doors normally closing said pockets, said doors having arms extending into the hull, latches engaging said arms to hold the doors closed, operating means for the doors, said operating means having lost motion connections with the doors, and members connected to said operating means adapted to release said latches on initial movement of the operating means.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

MARTIN TWORSKI. 

